The White Sox are on track to pass the 1962 Mets for the most losses in a single season in baseball’s modern era (since 1901) and are coming off a shocking 12-2 loss to the Yankees in Monday’s series opener.
The White Sox are a dismal 29-91, and their .242 winning percentage equates to a 39-123 record over a 162-game schedule, three more losses than Casey Stengel’s expansion Mets posted in their inaugural season 62 years ago (40-120).
The 2003 Tigers came closest to matching the Mets’ total with a 43-119 record.
The White Sox’s incompetence, having lost 14 and 21 straight games this season, respectively, reminded me of some terrible teams I’ve covered as a reporter and on a semi-regular basis over my 30-plus years as a New York sportswriter.
Of course, I’ve been on the other end of the spectrum, most notably as a traveling reporter for the mighty New York Yankees in 1998. The Yankees won 125 games and lost 50 games that year, going 114-48 in the regular season, 11-2 in the postseason and beating the Padres four straight times in the World Series.
The biggest challenge in covering such a runaway corporate behemoth was to creatively portray its succession of victories over its long run of success — the ultimate triumph amid what would now be considered a first-world problem.
The other end of the spectrum for me would be documenting awful hometown teams like the 2000-01 Islanders or the 2014-15 Knicks.
That year was the worst on record for general manager Mike Milbury’s Isles, finishing with a league-worst 52 points and missing the playoffs for the seventh straight year.
Incredibly, the Islanders completed a 44-point comeback the following season under first-time manager Peter Laviolette and led the Rangers to the Eastern Conference finals earlier this year.
The 2014-15 season was even more disastrous for the Knicks, especially as legendary coach Phil Jackson was brought in as team president to try to get the team back on track to win championships.
After two seasons of going 54-28 under head coach Mike Woodson, Jackson replaced him with the inexperienced Derek Fisher, a former Lakers championship player, after first choice Steve Kerr left the Knicks for the Warriors.
With Carmelo Anthony missing half the season with an injury, Fisher’s Knicks finished with a franchise-low win total of 17-65 (tied a few years later by David Fizdale’s awful 2018-19 team).
That season, the Knicks had 19 different players start, including Lou Amundson, Alexei Shved, Travis Ware and Clintney Early.
At least Fisher had a chance to travel to London to face the Bucks in January in his first season, but he was fired midway through the following year and Jackson was fired by head coach James Dolan in 2017.
Of course, in my nearly 50 years as a sports fan and reporter, there have been plenty of other examples of New York teams being terrible.
There are certainly some forgettable NFL teams out there, with the mid-70s Giants and Rich Kotit’s Jets, who went 1-15 in 1996, immediately springing to mind. The Jets haven’t been to the playoffs since the 2010 season, and the Giants have only made it twice in the past 12 seasons.
Although the Yankees will have their 32nd consecutive winning record after this season, 1990 was the worst year in franchise history with 95 losses and also saw the suspension of George Steinbrenner for paying a gambler named Howard Spira $40,000 to uncover damning information about All-Star outfielder Dave Winfield (I hear someone made a good documentary about that infamous season).
There are plenty of examples since ’62 when the Mets were lovable losers, most notably the dark period after the Tom Seaver trade in the late 1970s and the “worst team money can buy” of the early ’90s.
But there’s a good chance that the White Sox can at least finally beat the newly established Mets from their questionable record.
Today’s back cover
Quote of the Day
“We have communicated to Haasson that he will not be traded, that we expect him to be here with his teammates, and that he will be fined per the CBA if he does not report to work. Our position has been clear, forthright and consistent since trade negotiations in March. As we prepare for the regular season, our focus remains on the players who are here.”
— Jets general manager Joe Douglas said Monday in response to pass rusher Haason Reddick requesting a trade less than five months after being acquired from the Eagles.
Redick is seeking a new contract and has not attended training camp during his standoff with the Jets. Steve Selby of The Washington Post argues the Jets should call Redick’s bluff, writing of the 29-year-old Pro Bowl player, “He needs to wake up and realize he needs the Jets more than the Jets need him.”
Revisiting the rivalry
The Braves’ recent poor performance (9-14 since the All-Star break) adds another intriguing backstory to the Mets’ fight for a National League wild-card spot, which resumes Tuesday night against the Athletics at Citi Field.
The longtime rivalry between the two teams is separated by one game for the final National League playoff spot and is scheduled to go head-to-head in Atlanta from September 24-26.
While the Mets managed just one run in three straight games against the Mariners over the weekend, the Braves’ recent issues have mostly been tied to their pitching staff, which had a 5.32 ERA over the past month before Monday’s 1-0 win at San Francisco.
The Cardinals, Giants, Cubs and possibly the Reds and Pirates are still in the running for the final wild-card spot, but a showdown between the Braves and Mets in late September would add some excitement to the history books for both teams.
One of our friends
There are plenty of reasons to celebrate the U.S. Women’s National Team’s Olympic soccer gold medal win, but local sports reporters have even more reason to celebrate.
Starting midfielder Sam Coffey is the daughter of Wayne Coffey, a longtime reporter and columnist for another New York tabloid and my colleague at that paper for nearly 20 years.
Wayne and I often spoke about our kids’ on-field success when he played at Hofstra a few years before Sam did, and Wayne has asked me for recruiting advice on several occasions before becoming a regular player for Boston College, Penn State and the national team in the NWSL.
Another interesting connection is that Sam’s sister, Alex Coffey, followed in her father’s footsteps. Phillies reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
A few years ago, Wayne Coffey also wrote a great book about the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team called “The Boys of Winter.”
Sportswriters around the world, especially in New York, are ecstatic that he and his family were able to experience “The Girls of Summer” on a more personal level in Paris this month.
What we’re reading 👀
🏈 The Post has published an article about Ian O’Connor’s upcoming book, “Coming out of the darkness: The Aaron Rodgers enigmaThe Jets quarterback spoke about ex-girlfriend Olivia Munn’s involvement (or lack thereof) in his estrangement from his family.
⚾ Let’s take a look back at Aaron Judge’s historic at-bats this season, writes Washington Post reporter Jon Heyman.
🏈 The Giants’ transformation of their wide receiver corps has been highlighted by rookie Malik Neighbors and his limitations as a “true No. 1 receiver.”
🏀 The Knicks are set for an intriguing opener against the Celtics.
⚾ MLB and the Red Sox set the market standard for anti-gay slurs.
🏀 Dearica Hamby is about to expose Ace’s secret, it’s the WNBA scandal we’re not talking about.
🤸♀️ This situation with Jordan Chiles is tragic.
⛳ Please be considerate of the golf tournament volunteers.
📻 An unusual development for New York sports radio.
Former Mets manager Mike Cubbage has passed away after a battle with cancer. He was 74 years old.
